Field Hockey Event In Memory Of Beloved Enfield Standout A Big Hit

ENFIELD, CT — In 1997, Amy Romano joined her dad Tony as the first father-daughter duo to be inducted into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame. The former multi-sport star at Enrico Fermi High School had continued her athletic and academic success at Assumption College, then returned to her hometown and became one of the most beloved teachers and coaches in the Enfield Public School system.

After coaching field hockey at her old high school and serving as head teacher at Thomas Alcorn Elementary School, Romano died unexpectedly at age 40 on Jan. 11, 2007. Her dad passed away just over a year later.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Amy and Tony were looking down with delight Sunday on a glorious morning and afternoon at Enfield High School, where field hockey teams representing a dozen schools from four New England states gathered on Cookie Bromage Field at Carl Angelica Memorial Stadium for the 14th rendition of the Amy Romano Memorial Field Hockey Scrimmage.

The event, which debuted in 2009, kicked off with a stirring rendition of the national anthem by Manuela Faulk of Windsor Locks, a senior at Cornerstone Christian School. A ceremonial opening ball drop featured Amy's mom Judie, 5-time state champion coach Kitty Palmer of Guilford, and the legendary Cookie Bromage, who coached Enfield for 52 years, guiding the Raiders to five state titles. She has earned induction into numerous halls of fame, most recently the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2023, and the turf field at Enfield was named in her honor in 2019.

Teams from as far away as Keene, New Hampshire and East Greenwich, Rhode Island competed against three schools from Massachusetts and seven from Connecticut.

After a 90-minute bus ride down Interstate 91, Keene head coach Michelle Tiani, whose Blackbirds squads have played in the scrimmage day on two prior occasions, told Patch, "We are thrilled to be able to come back to this event, and hopefully our schedule will work out that we can continue to do so."

Longmeadow (MA) extended its streak of being the only school outside of host Enfield to participate in the scrimmage each year since its inception.

"It was a wonderful field hockey tournament in memory of Amy," Judie Romano told Patch. "The Romano family is so blessed to have you all there and all the kind things you do and said about her."

Proceeds from the event support the Amy Romano Memorial Scholarship, an annual $1,000 award administered by the Hall of Fame.